Regulations

The Schubert Award International Music Competition (Schubert Award IMC) is an online music competition open to musicians of all nationalities and ages.

The competition is organised entirely online and is held in two stages: Preliminary Round and Final Round.

The competition is open to soloists, vocalists, instrumentalists, composers, conductors and chamber ensembles.

There are no nationality or age restrictions.

Available categories include Piano, Strings, Winds, Voice, Composition, Conducting, Chamber Music and Ensembles.

Participants may apply in more than one category by submitting separate applications.

Any classical music repertoire is accepted.

Performing works by Franz Schubert is welcome but not required.

Applications are submitted through the online form on schubertaward.com.

Each application must include a link to a video recording hosted on YouTube, Vimeo, Google Drive or another accessible platform.

Composers do not need a video: an audio recording is sufficient. It may be a live performance or sound generated in music software. Audio must be available for streaming (e.g. YouTube, SoundCloud, Google Drive with view access) — files that require downloading are not accepted. A link to the score is very welcome.

The Preliminary Round is free of charge.

Recordings are evaluated by the international jury. Selected participants are invited to the Final Round.

Only invited participants may take part in the Final Round.

The Final Round is held entirely online and only recorded submissions are evaluated (video, or audio for composers). The same programme submitted in the Preliminary Round is used in the Final Round — apart from registration and payment of the administrative fee, no further action or contact is required.

If a participant wishes, they may update their programme for the Final Round by sending a new video link through the contact form on schubertaward.com.

Each finalist receives an official prize title and a digital diploma.

There is no fee for the Preliminary Round.

An administrative fee of €99 applies only for invited Final Round participants. It is payable during Final Round registration.

The jury consists of international musicians and pedagogues invited by the organizer.

The jury's decisions are final and not subject to appeal.

Absolute Winner is the highest prize, ranked above the Platinum Prize. Every Absolute Winner receives a cash award of €200.

All Absolute Winners and all Platinum Prize laureates receive an artist profile on ums.art (Universal Maestro Society).

Absolute Winners and Platinum Prize laureates may be selected for an interview in Maestro Magazine.

Prize titles include Absolute Winner, Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Special Mention.

All finalists receive an official prize title and a digital diploma.

All diplomas are issued in digital format.

Teachers of laureates may request a Teacher Appreciation Diploma.

Preliminary results are sent by email.

Final results are published on the Winners page on schubertaward.com.

Recordings should allow the jury to clearly evaluate the performance.

Professional production is not required. The participant is responsible for ensuring the link works.

By submitting an application, participants confirm they hold the rights to their submitted material.

The organizer may publish names, photos, countries, prize titles and submitted media links for promotional purposes.

The organizer processes participants' contact details to administer the competition, communicate important updates, deliver results and manage awards.

Participants may also choose to receive email updates about future international music competitions, awards and opportunities organized by the organizer and its affiliated projects.

Marketing communications are optional and participants may unsubscribe at any time using the link provided in each email.

Personal data is processed in accordance with the organizer's Privacy Policy.

Submitting an application implies full acceptance of these regulations.

The organizer reserves the right to update the regulations and competition schedule.